PUPPY ALERT: YVAS Currently Has 16 Adorable Pups Like Woody

When Lindsay Dillon, Volunteer Coordinator at Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, arrived at our studios with a small pet carrier this morning, I thought today would be one of those rare occasions we feature a feline on Wet Nose Wednesday.

I was wrong. She brought a puppy! OMG, he is adorable. Meet Woody, our featured adoptable pet. Woody is nine weeks old and is a Golden Retriever/Spinone Italiano mix. And here's the kicker... the shelter has SIXTEEN of these puppies. 

We had questions.

First, what is a Spinone Italiano? Everyone is familiar with Golden Retrievers (one of the most popular breeds in the US), but Spinone Italiani? I'd never heard of them before. The Spinone Italiano is a densely-coated hunting dog of ancient lineage.

The American Kennel Club says this about the sturdy breed,

The face conveys the breed's abundant Old World charm. Those soft, sweetly expressive eyes set off by shaggy eyebrows and a tufted beard have won many a heart in Italy, and they're making new conquests here in America every day.

Woody will certainly grow up to be a very handsome, large-sized dog.

Sixteen puppies at once... from the same mom? No. Not exactly.

Our next question... how in the world did the YVAS end up with sixteen of these super-cute puppies? Well, Woody's mom was part of the shelter's Single Mama Special. For $80 for cats or $100 for dogs, YVAS will spay your mama cat/dog, provide mama’s vaccinations and a microchip, and provide medical care & adoption services for all of her babies, like Woody, for example.

In this case, there were two mamas and one daddy, which produced two litters of very similar-looking Golden Retriever/Spinone Italiano puppies. Out of the 16 pups, there is a fairly even mix of males and females.

YVAS is currently full of adoptable cats and dogs.

Lindsay said several of the adult dogs on the adoption floor are sponsored, which means their adoption fees are waived, courtesy of generous donors. If you're looking for a dog or cat, please consider adopting from Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter.

Thank you, Shipton's Big R, for supporting animal adoption in the Billings area.